I'm surprised that some companies are still going after Nintendo for supposed copyright infringement, involving technology for the Wii. You know, the console that's nearly eight years old now. Well, I guess if there's money to be had...
Nintendo's latest patent victory involved UltimatePointer, LLC, who claimed that the big N infringed on some of their proprietary motion control tech to make the original Wii remote. Judge Robert S. Lasnik declared in federal court that UltimatePointer's claims were invalid, and that Nintendo never stole any of their technology. An earlier court in Texas previously decided there was no infringement, but UltimatePointer decided to make the case federal. This final decision by Lasnik throws the case out, so whatever distant risk there was of Wiimotes being pulled off shelves is gone. Nintendo fans have been waiting with bated breath, I'm sure.
Hopefully this is the last of these ancient cases against Wiimote infringement...at least until tech companies start claiming that Nintendo stole the Wii U GamePad from them.
Court Declares Wii System Does Not Infringe Two Patents
REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- On Dec. 22, Nintendo won a patent case in a federal court in Seattle. Judge Robert S. Lasnik found that Nintendo’s Wii system does not infringe two patents asserted against Nintendo by UltimatePointer, LLC. Judge Lasnik also found a number of UltimatePointer’s claims invalid, and decided, as a result of these decisions, that no trial is needed.
Judge Lasnik’s decision follows earlier decisions for Nintendo by Chief Judge Leonard Davis of the Eastern District of Texas, which occurred before the case was transferred to Seattle. Judge Davis similarly held that Nintendo did not infringe certain asserted claims and that others were invalid.
“We are very pleased with these decisions, which confirmed Nintendo’s position from the beginning – we do not, nor have we ever, infringed these patents,” said Richard Medway, Nintendo of America’s vice president and deputy general counsel. “The result in this case, once again, demonstrates that Nintendo will continue to vigorously defend its innovations against patent lawsuits, even if it must do so in multiple courts and commit significant resources to defend itself. Nintendo continues to support reform efforts to reduce the unnecessary and inefficient burden patent cases like this one place on technology companies in the United States.”
For more information about Nintendo, visit http://www.nintendo.com.
